


Welcome Home

by tinybean98



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Post-Canon, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-16
Updated: 2018-06-16
Packaged: 2019-05-24 01:12:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14944857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinybean98/pseuds/tinybean98
Summary: I didn't even realize it was Stahl's birthday as I was writing this!Happy birthday to the best husband!





	Welcome Home

The rays of the late-afternoon winter sun is enough to pull Stahl from his slumber. His eyes flutter open and his vision is flooded with light filtering through the window.

Stahl moves and stretches, his limbs dangling from either side of the couch where he lay lengthwise upon it. He blinks the sleep away from his eyes and lets his bleary gaze drift from the wooden tresses above, to the hearth where a crackling fire eats away at wood.

_Two years,_ Stahl thinks. _Two years without her._

The image of the petite woman is etched into his mind. Her long black hair was always put back into a bun and her bangs always tickled at her eyelids - which was almost always the topic of her complaints.

_Why don't you trim your bangs then?_ Stahl would always ask. He always enjoyed pushing her bangs back to give her kisses on her forehead.

_Then I won't look good._ She would reply with a small pout.

Stahl can't help but smile at the memory and he brings an arm to rest over his eyes. The house he lives in now seems too big for him and his son to call home; it needed one more person before it could feel whole.

It was a reasonably-sized home; with two stories and it was sandwiched comfortably between houses of similar design. It was also within close proximity to Ylisse’s town centre, where the market was open year-round.

“Ivy…” the name comes out of his mouth familiarly, but it also feels foreign upon his lips. His mind brings him back to the vision of her fading away into the sunset, his hand outstretched as he runs towards her disappearing form.

_I love you._ She mouths before she turns her back on her family and the army she helped lead to victory.

Stahl runs a hand through his messy locks and berates himself for bringing up the painful memory yet again. He hates himself for not being able to reach her sooner, but deep in his heart he knew that he would not have been able to change her mind.

A knocking on the door breaks him out of his thoughts. Stahl sits up, peering through the window that the couch is situated in front of. A hooded figure stands in front of the door. Hesitantly, Stahl gets up off the couch and fixes his wrinkled shirt before heading to the door.

He opens the door and eyes the short, hooded figure in front of him.

“Hello…” Stahl says. “Can I help you with anything?” The stranger is wearing a navy blue dress with a white collar and cuffs, paired with light brown boots that lace up to their knees.

The stranger reaches up to the hood of their burgundy coloured shawl and pulls it off, revealing long, black hair and bangs. Their nose and cheeks are rosy against their pale skin and a sheepish smile works its way across their lips.

“Ivy…!” Stahl chokes out.

“Hey.” She replies, her brown gaze settles upon her slack-jawed husband in front of her. “I'm home.”

Ivy has no time to react before she is swept off her feet. Her surprised shout echoes off surrounding houses and melts into a mixture of laughter and squeals as Stahl twirls around with her in his arms.

Bare patches of the cobblestone is swept clear of snow from the twirling of feet. Ivy holds onto Stahl’s broad shoulders as her hair sweeps into her face and momentarily blocks her vision.

The twirling slows down and Ivy rests her forehead against Stahl’s. His arms are placed comfortably underneath Ivy, holding her up.  The pair remain still in the middle of the empty street, snow falling gently from the clouding sky.

“I missed you.” She says, her breath comes out as mist from her lips. Their noses touch, the warmth from Stahl’s nose seeps into Ivy’s before he leans in for a short kiss.

“I missed you more.” He replies with a smile. Tears gather at the corner of his eyes. Ivy laughs and sweeps her thumb underneath his eyes. She sniffs and her own eyes begin to glisten.

“Oh, now you're making me cry.” She jokes, her voice hitches and another laugh escapes her mouth. Stahl laughs with her and places kisses on her cheeks, then on her mouth again.

“Mom!” A voice breaks through the silence and the couple turn to look back at the doorway of their home.

“Morgan!” Ivy wriggles out of Stahl’s arms, landing on the street with a quiet thud and races towards the boy.

“Oh, you've grown so much!” Ivy's tears begin to flow again as she holds Morgan close. Morgan's face is buried into the crook of Ivy’s neck and she hears his muffled sobs.

Stahl approaches the two and pulls them both close. “Now we can be a family.” Morgan manages to say between hiccups as Ivy wipes his tears away.

“I'm sorry for leaving you two.” Ivy whispers.

“There's no need for apologies, Ivy. All that matters is that you're here with us now.” Stahl says.

Morgan pulls out of the hug first, tugging at Ivy's hand.

“Come on, mom! I want to show you our home!”

* * *

 

Stahl pushes Ivy's bangs back and places a kiss on her forehead. Ivy stirs, her head resting on his bare chest and her hair tickling his cheeks.

The sun had set hours ago and snow was beginning to pile up at the sill of the bedroom window. A candle sits on the bedside table, bathing the room in a warm orange glow. Clothes are strewn on the floor, while blankets are wrinkled and pushed to the end of the bed.

“I love you.” Ivy mumbles, her eyes flutter open and she snuggles closer to Stahl.

“I love you too.” Stahl replies as he lazily drags his hand up from her waist to her shoulder.

There's a short silence before Ivy sits up abruptly, straddling Stahl and staring him in the eyes.

“What's the matter?” Stahl asks, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

“I want to look at you.” Ivy replies simply. “Being in a coma for two years does a lot to your memory, you know.”

Stahl smiles and reaches up to cup her cheek in one hand. “I guess it does. I've been afraid of forgetting what you look like." Ivy leans into his hand and holds it to her cheek. She closes her eyes, savouring his touch.

Stahl uses this moment to look at her carefully. Her black hair is loose and drapes over her shoulders, perfectly framing the delicate features of her face. Her long dark eyelashes rest against her cheeks and a satisfied smile is present on her lips. Her eyes open, revealing her brown eyes which are bright and full of life.

Ivy's arms wrap around Stahl’s neck and she tugs him closer, easing his back off the headboard of the bed.

“Hmm,” Ivy hums as she examines him. “You've gotten more handsome.”

Stahl smiles embarrassingly and rests his forehead against her shoulder.

“It's true!” Ivy says with a laugh. Her hands reach up and muss through his brunette hair.

“You're too good to me, Ivy. I must be the luckiest guy ever for someone as brilliant as you to marry someone as plain as me.” Stahl mumbles into her shoulder.

Ivy's hands stop and slide from his hair to wrap around his shoulders.

“Stahl,” Ivy says quietly. “You're nowhere near plain. You're the most gentle and kindest man I've ever met.”

Ivy feels him shift closer to the side of her neck. Stahl hums, seeming unconvinced at her statement. Ivy pouts.

“I married you, didn't I?” Ivy says. “If we could start over again, I would still pick you over anyone else in the Shepherds. No one could ever replace you.”

There isn't a response from Stahl at first. “If we started over, then I'd have to see you disappear again.” He says quietly, his breath warm against her skin. Ivy pauses mid-thought.

“I won't. I won't disappear again.” Ivy says firmly, her arms tightening around his shoulders.

“Do you promise?” Stahl asks.

“I promise.”

Ivy feels his hands trail up her back, then his lips at her neck. A sigh escapes Ivy as his lips brush over a sensitive spot.  

He pushes her back down onto the bed.

“Again?” Ivy asks breathlessly as she tilts her neck to accommodate more of Stahl’s kisses.  

“Mmm.” Stahl hums in agreement. His lips leave her burning skin for a moment. “Have you visited the rest of the Shepherds yet?”

“No, but that can wait until tomorrow.” Ivy says quickly. She tugs Stahl down impatiently and kisses him sweetly.

Stahl smiles into the kiss, his hands trace every curve of her body and his fingers follow faded scars that had become etched into her skin. He feels Ivy's muscles move as she shifts underneath him, toned after years of war.

In return, Ivy runs a hand through his hair and lets her other one glide down his muscled shoulders, then to his lower back.

Ivy breaks away from the kiss first before they continue, her eyes sparkling in the candlelight. Stahl meets her gaze with a smile.

“Welcome home.”

**Author's Note:**

> I didn't even realize it was Stahl's birthday as I was writing this! 
> 
> Happy birthday to the best husband!


End file.
